By Ruth Marsden and Desmond Hinton-Beales - 10th February 2012
Martin Schulz kicks off his first full week in Strasbourg as parliament president on Wednesday, with a discussion on the eurozone's economic prospects with Italian prime minister Mario Monti on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, Schulz will meet French foreign minister Alain Juppe to discuss foreign affairs, including the situation in Syria.
On Monday, MEPs will press the commission to act on their September 2011 request for a strategy on homelessness, which has been further exacerbated by the cold snap currently making its way across Europe.
Monday also sees commission president José Manuel Barroso discussing MEPs' oral questions over proposals to reassign €82bn of structural funds to SMEs and young people.
And on Tuesday, MEPs will attempt to save the European food aid programme. If they endorse a compromise reached with the council, the programme will continue until 2013 with an annual budget of €500m.
Economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn will also field oral questions from MEPs regarding the commission's green paper on joint security bonds for the eurozone, with a resolution expected the following day.
On Wednesday, Greens MEP José Bové holds a press conference outlining his opposition to parliament's draft agreement on liberalising agriculture and fisheries between the EU and Morocco.
He is expected to raise concerns over Rabat's occupation of the western Sahara and the proposal's effects on children working in the region's agricultural sector.
Parliament will also vote on the resolution on political developments in Hungary on Thursday, following the recent plenary discussion with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, which may well lead to proceedings against Budapest unless the laws are changed.
Also on Thursday, MEPs are expected to step up pressure on authorities to push for a fair and transparent procedure for candidates in Russia's presidential election next month, following the controversial duma elections in December.
Parliament's environment committee also discusses the sulphur content of marine fuels, with pollution from this sector thought to be connected with 50,000 deaths per year.
